BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Arms Trade: Export Controls

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's Notice to Exporters 2013-18: Important Changes to the Strategic Export Control Transparency Initiative, for what reason exporters will not be required to (a) report the rating or goods description and (b) provide control list classifications or descriptions of the items exported.

Michael Fallon: The Government is committed to transparency in export licensing, which is why we regularly publish information about licences issued and refused through annual and quarterly reports. Comprehensive information is available at
	https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/eng/fox/sdb/SDBHOME
	In extending this commitment to transparency it has become clear that we need to strike a proper balance between increased transparency and the need to minimise administrative burdens on business. The original proposals did not strike that balance. In making the final preparations for the launch of the Transparency initiative we reviewed its scope and the potential for it to impose unnecessary burdens on business. Consequently, the requirement for exporters to report on the rating or goods description and to provide control list classifications or descriptions of the items to be exported was removed.

Arms Trade: Trade Fairs

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that weapons or equipment which are banned by the UK will not be promoted at the Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition in London in September 2013.

Michael Fallon: DSEI is a commercial event organised by the company Clarion Events. The Export Control Organisation has agreed a Memorandum of Understanding with Clarion which sets out their role and responsibilities, and those of the exhibitor companies, in respect of export and trade control legislation. Clarion's terms and conditions for their exhibitors makes clear that the responsibility for applying for any relevant export licences lies with the exhibiting companies.
	BIS officials, alongside counterparts from other Government Departments, are working very closely with Clarion Events to ensure that the exhibitors comply as necessary with export and trade control legislation.

Comet Group

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects to receive the Insolvency Service report into Comet.

Jo Swinson: The Insolvency Service's investigation has continued to progress. However, given the complexity of the issues and the size of the company under enquiry, it is not yet possible to set a date for completion without compromising the depth and thoroughness of the inquiry.

Conditions of Employment

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of non-zero-hour contracts on the flexibility of the workforce.

Jo Swinson: While no assessment has been made of the effect of non-zero hours contracts on the flexibility of the work force, flexible working benefits businesses, society and individuals.
	Flexible working allows businesses access to a wider pool of skills and talents in the workforce, along with improved recruitment and retention rates, and increased staff morale and productivity.
	The social benefit is seen where individuals are able to remain in employment when they are unable to maintain standard working hours or patterns of work. This supports the economy and reduces the number of people dependent on the state.
	Individuals who are parents and carers are able to spend more time with their children and relatives alongside work and individuals are able to get more involved in community projects when they are able to adapt their work patterns.

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the number of people employed on zero hours contracts, by region.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, innovation and Skills is using Labour Force Survey (LFS) data to estimate numbers of people on zero hours contracts. BIS estimates that there were 250,000 people on zero hours contracts in the UK in the fourth quarter of 2012.
	The LFS sample sizes at regional level for zero hours contracts are too small to provide reliable regional estimates of the numbers on zero hours contracts.

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills by what date he expects to receive the findings of his Department's review of zero hours contracts; and if he will place in the Library a copy of that review.

Jo Swinson: The information gathering exercise on zero hours contracts is near its conclusion. Officials have been reporting back periodically on the information they have gathered from a wide range of sources.
	An announcement will be made when Ministers have considered all of the information and made decisions on next steps. This will include a decision on how the findings of the review will be published.

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings took place between Ministers and officials of his Department and external stakeholders and others as part of his Department's investigation into zero hours contracts; and on what dates each such meeting took place.

Jo Swinson: Throughout the review officials carried out research drawing on a wide range of information sources including social media, published data and conversations within government and with external stakeholders. The main conversations with external stakeholders took place in July and August. They are detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Date 
			 38 Degrees 22 August 2013 
			 Alliance Boots 17 August 2013 
			 Association of Colleges 29 July 2013 
			 British Hospitality Association 31 July 2013 
			 British Retail Consortium 10 July 2013 
			 Chartered Institute of Personnel Development 14 August2013 
			 Confederation of British Industry 22 July 2013 and 20 August 2013 
			 Institute of Directors 16 July 2013 
			 Low Pay Commission 25 June 2013 
			 Manpower 29 August 2013 
			 Roundtable Meeting of Recruitment Employment Confederation members 25 July 2013 
			 Resolution Foundation 8 July 2013 
			 Round Table Meeting at Trade Union Congress 24 July 2013 
			 Tempo 20 August 2013 
			 Universities and Colleges Employers Association 13 August 2013 
			 University and College Union 7 August 2013

Exports: Government Assistance

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Government has made an application for approval under EU state aid rules in relation to the Exports Refinancing Facility.

Michael Fallon: No application has been made. The facility is being designed so that it does not breach EU state aid rules.

Exports: Syria

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many export licences were issued for the period 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2012 to companies seeking to export materials to Syria listed by company and description of material.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	Information about export licences issued between 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2012 is available in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls which are available to view on the Strategic Export Controls: Reports and Statistics website at:
	https://www.exportcontroldb.bis.gov.uk/eng/fox
	These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. The names of the companies granted the licences are exempt from disclosure because this information was provided in confidence and is commercially sensitive.

Exports: Syria

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether consultation took place with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ministry of Defence before export licences to Syria were granted for the period January 2011 to June 2012.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	All export licences to Syria were rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the consolidated European Union (EU) and National Arms Export licensing criteria, and final decisions are based on advice from other relevant Departments.

Exports: Syria

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment the Government made of the risk of exporting potassium fluoride and sodium fluoride to Syria in the granting of export licences in 2011-12.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	All export licences to Syria were rigorously assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated European Union (EU) and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking into account all relevant factors, including the prevailing circumstances in the recipient country, the nature of the goods, the identity of the end-user and the stated end-use. Export licences are not issued when they would be inconsistent with the Criteria.

Exports: Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions export licences for (a) sodium fluoride and (b) potassium fluoride have been granted for export to Syria in each of the last 10 years; who the customer was; what the intended use of the chemicals was; and how much was exported under each such licence.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	The information is as follows:
	(a) Six licences have been authorised for sodium fluoride in the last 10 years—in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012.
	(b) One licence has been authorised for potassium fluoride in the last 10 years, in 2012.
	Retrieving the information on the amount of chemicals exported over the last 10 years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The 2012 licences had an intended end use for metal finishing in making aluminium showers and window frames for civilian end use. All other licences were for the manufacture of toothpaste by commercial companies.

Exports: Syria

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what advice (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have received from (i) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (ii) the Ministry of Defence and (iii) other government agencies on the potential for strategic exports from the UK being used for internal repression in Syria since 2011.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	Officials in the Export Control Organisation (ECO) within BIS receive advice from a range of Departments, including those mentioned, when considering export licence applications for Syria. Advice on whether the proposed export would be used for internal repression or the abuse of human rights, i.e. Criterion 2 of the Consolidated Criteria, is principally received from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Exports: Syria

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information (a) he and (b) officials in his Department requested from other Departments and agencies when deliberating on the annual licences for the export of dual-use chemicals to Syria which were granted on 17 and 18 January 2012.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	There is a well-established process for taking decisions on export licence requests. Both licences were assessed by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and by other Government Departments with an interest, against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, including whether there was a clear risk that they might be used for internal repression or be diverted to another end use.

Exports: Syria

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions (a) he and (b) officials in his Department had with officials of EU institutions on the substances (i) sodium fluoride and (ii) potassium fluoride (A) before 17 and 18 January 2012 and (B) between 19 January 2012 and 17 June 2012.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) and BIS officials had no such discussions.

Exports: Syria

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date (a) he and (b) officials in his Department were informed that no chemicals were exported under the export licences issued on 17 and 18 January 2012.

Michael Fallon: holding answer 5 September 2013
	The export licences issued on 17 and 18 January 2012 were revoked on 30 July 2012 following the imposition of EU sanctions in respect of Syria. BIS was informed that the licences had not been used on 30 July 2012.

Overseas Companies: China

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the risks to British businesses operating in China; and what support his Department provides to assist such businesses in operating in that country without contravening the provisions of the Bribery Act 2010.

Michael Fallon: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), both in the UK and abroad, frequently advise companies on the specific risks of operating in overseas markets, including in China. Information can be found on the Overseas Business Risk section of the UKTI website
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/pt_pt/export/howwehelp/overseasbusinessrisk.html?null
	including a section dedicated to risks around bribery and corruption
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/pt_pt/export/howwehelp/overseasbusinessrisk/briberycorruption.html?null
	as well as country-specific risks in China
	http://www.ukti.gov.uk/pt_pt/export/countries/asiapacific/fareast/china/overseasbusinessrisk.htmh
	Additionally, as part of the FCO Charter for Business, FCO also regularly shares its political, economic and security analysis in written and oral briefings for UK business and publishes this analysis on the UKTI website to help companies understand and manage new and emerging risks in those markets.
	On the specific question of the Bribery Act, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is a sponsor of the Business Anti-Corruption Portal. It is a comprehensive and practical business tool offering support to business to help them avoid and fight corruption. The portal is found at
	http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/
	It contains a number of country profiles, including China.

Royal Mail

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to make a statement to the Stock Exchange on the sale of Royal Mail; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Fallon: On 10 July, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable) announced the Government's intention to float shares on the London Stock Exchange via an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in this financial year.
	The next step in taking forward the IPO will be the issue of an Intention to Float (ITF) announcement which we will do in line with normal market practice. No decision has been made on the timing of the ITF.

CABINET OFFICE

Communities First Fund

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding was allocated to the Community First programme in years (a) one and (b) two; what proportion of that funding has been spent by local Community First panels; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the programme.

Nick Hurd: The Community First programme costs for these years are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225980/HC_15.pdf
	An evaluation of the Community First Neighbourhood Match Fund programme is being carried out by IPSOS Mori and nef Consulting. A final report will be published in 2015.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to include in the terms of reference of the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund the effects of climate change, energy security and resource competition.

Chloe Smith: The new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) will bring together resources from across Government, and draw on the most effective combination of defence, diplomatic, development, security and intelligence, and other cross-Government capabilities. The CSSF will build on the Building Stability Overseas Strategy, and the National Security Strategy. These capabilities are at the heart of the Prime Minister's "golden thread" and can play a vital role in tackling the root causes and impacts of conflict and instability in fragile states. The National Security Strategy identified climate change, energy issues and resource competition as drivers of global insecurity. These are therefore clear priorities for the NSC (National Security Council) and will be considered in conjunction with other NSC conflict drivers and priorities.

Death: Drugs

John Woodcock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths occurred in each region in 2012 where novel psychoactive substances were mentioned on the death certificate.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated September 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths occurred in each region in 2012 where novel psychoactive substances were mentioned on the death certificate [167964].
	There is no official definition of the term ‘novel psychoactive substances’. However the Office for National Statistics does monitor deaths from drug-related poisoning, allowing analysis of deaths by specific substances involved.
	In recent years a number of new psychoactive substances have been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. These include gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and its precursor gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), piperazines (benzylpiperazine—BZP and trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine—TFMPP), pipradrols such as desoxypipradrol, and cathinones such as mephedrone. These types of drugs have been mentioned in association with the term ‘novel/new psychoactive substances’, and although they are also sometimes referred to as ‘legal highs’, many are now controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. A full list of drugs currently classified as 'new psychoactive substances' by ONS is shown in Box 2 below.
	Table 1 provides the number of deaths where the underlying cause was drug-related poisoning and a new psychoactive substance was mentioned on the death certificate in each region of England for deaths registered in 2012. It is important to note that around half of these deaths mentioned more than one substance on the death certificate, and it is not possible to tell which was primarily responsible for the death. More information on how to interpret data on drug-related deaths can be found in the bulletin mentioned below.
	The number of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales from 1993 to 2012 are available on the ONS website:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of deaths where the underlying cause was drug-related poisoning and a new psychoactive substance was mentioned on the death certificate, by region, England, deaths registered in 2012(1,2,3,4) 
			 Region Deaths 
			 North East 3 
			 North West 11 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 4 
			 East Midlands 6 
			 West Midlands 6 
			 East of England 4 
			 London 9 
			 South East 3 
			 South West 3 
			 (1) Cause of death related to drug poisoning was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD 10) codes shown in Box 1 below. (2) Deaths were included where the underlying cause was drug-related, and where one or more of the substances shown in Box 2 below was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate. (3) Figures for regions are based on boundaries as of August 2013 and exclude deaths of non-residents. (4) Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar. Due to the length of time it takes to complete a coroner's inquest, it can take months or even years for a drug-related death to be registered. More details can be found in the ‘deaths related to drug poisoning’ statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1. ICD 10 codes used to define deaths related to drug poisoning 
			 Description ICD 10 Codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14 
		
	
	Box 2. Drugs classified as new psychoactive substances
	1-(Benzofuran-6-yl)-propan-2-amine
	2-(1H-lndol-5-yl)-1-methylethylamine
	4-Fluoroephedrine
	4-Fluoromethcathinone
	4-Methylamphetamine
	4-Methylethcathinone
	Alpha-methyltryptamine
	BZP
	Cathinone
	Desoxypipradrol
	Fluoromethcathinone
	GHB
	Khat
	Legal high
	Mephedrone
	Methiopropamine
	Methoxetamine
	Methylenedioxypyrovalerone
	Methylone
	Synthetic cannabinoid
	TFMPP

Public Sector: Procurement

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance his Department offers on the inclusion of contract bonds in the commissioning and procurement of public services.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office issued Procurement Policy Note 02/13 on 18 February 2013.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with (a) ConservativeHome, (b) the Taxpayer's Alliance, (c) the Countryside Alliance and (d) charities about the draft Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill.

Francis Maude: As part of my Department's transparency programme, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/ministers-transparency-publications

Voluntary Work: Young People

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the total cost was of delivery per participant of the National Citizenship Service in (a) 2012 and (b) 2013 to date.

Nick Hurd: The Natcen evaluation of the 2012 programme was published in July and gives details of how many young people took part and the cost of delivery:
	http://www.natcen.ac.uk/study/national-citizen-service-evaluation
	The monetary benefits of the 2012 NCS programme were estimated at up to 2.8 times the cost of delivery. Details for the 2013 programme will be published in due course.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Housing: Construction

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many new homes have been built as a result of the New Homes Bonus to date;
	(2)  by what date 400,000 additional homes will be built as a result of the New Homes Bonus.

Mark Prisk: To date, the New Homes Bonus has rewarded delivery of almost 470,000 net additions to the housing stock, including over 400,000 new homes and over 55,000 empty properties brought back into use.

Right to Buy Scheme

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what impact assessment his Department has produced on measures in the draft Deregulation Bill reducing the waiting period for right to buy.

Mark Prisk: The Department has produced an impact assessment on the proposed change to the Right to Buy qualifying period. We will shortly submit a copy of the impact assessment to the Joint Committee as part of its call for evidence on the Deregulation Bill and a copy will also be placed in the Library of the House.

Temporary Accommodation: West Midlands

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families in (a) Birmingham, Hall Green constituency and (b) the West Midlands are recorded as living in bed and breakfast accommodation; and how many such families were recorded as living in such accommodation in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Mark Prisk: The Department collects figures on the numbers of households in temporary accommodation in individual local authority areas and so those which most closely relate to the Birmingham Hall Green constituency are those for the whole area covered by Birmingham city council.
	The latest figures on the number of households with dependent children or expectant mothers with no other dependent children recorded as living in bed and breakfast accommodation relate to 31 March 2013. The following table therefore includes figures for Birmingham city council, as at 31 March in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.
	
		
			 Birmingham city council 
			 Number of households with dependent children or expectant mothers with no other dependent children in bed and breakfast accommodation 
			 As at 31 March: Number 
			 2010 72 
			 2011 48 
			 2012 28 
			 2013 87 
			 Source: PIE quarterly returns 
		
	
	As outlined in the written ministerial statement of 18 September 2012, Official Report, columns 32-33WS, my Department no longer publishes statistics by Government office region. I am placing in the Library of the House, a table giving local authority figures from which regional estimates for the former West Midlands government region can be calculated.
	The figures are the total numbers reported by local authorities as at each date. It is not possible from the information provided to identify individual households and so to track the number of households in bed and breakfast accommodation as at 31 March 2013 that had also been in bed and breakfast accommodation on any particular previous dates. Figures for 30 June 2013 will be published on 5 September.
	We announced funding of nearly £2 million in June to support intensive work with seven local authorities that account for almost 50% of families in bed and breakfast over six weeks. Birmingham is one of the successful bidders and will receive £297,500 of that funding. The lessons learned will be shared with other local authorities.

DEFENCE

Chemicals: Exports

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 19, on what date it was considered that the sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride could be precursors in some other application; what these applications were considered to be; for what reason that consideration was not given before those export licences were issued; and if he will make a statement.

Philip Dunne: Export licences are approved by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.
	The two standard individual export licences for sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride were revoked following a revision to the sanctions regime which came into force in June 2012. The revision introduced new prohibitions on certain chemicals, including sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride. In these cases the chemicals were to be used for metal finishing of aluminium showers and windows. There was no evidence at the time of granting the licences—and there has been no evidence subsequently—to suggest that the end-use was anything other than stated. Our system of export controls is robust, responsive and effective in protecting our interests and upholding the highest international standards.
	The licences were not used before they were revoked.

HMS Dragon

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether HMS Dragon is accompanying the USS Nimitz to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Andrew Robathan: No. HMS Dragon is currently returning from a routine deployment to the Gulf where it worked with the USS Nimitz and other international partners to promote regional security.

Military Bases: Germany

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel will be stationed in British Army bases in Germany in each year until 2019.

Andrew Robathan: Before the strategic defence and security review in 2010 there were around 20,000 Service personnel in Germany, of which approximately 19,000 were on Army bases.
	There are currently 14,560 armed forces personnel in Army bases in Germany, which is expected to reduce to 12,480 by December 2014 and 6,800 by December 2015. This number will remain broadly consistent until the last major formation, 20 Armoured Brigade, begins its withdrawal towards the end of the decade.

RAF Akrotiri

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on improving armed forces accommodation in RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, in each year since 2010.

Mark Francois: It will take time to gather this information, I will write to the hon. Member.

RAF Akrotiri

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which military units have been deployed at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robathan: The UK has the following military units permanently deployed at RAF Akrotiri:
	A Squadron which operate Griffin helicopters to provide search and rescue for the Sovereign Base Areas and Republic of Cyprus;
	The Cyprus Operational Support Unit which is responsible for managing the transit of military goods and personnel to and from operations in Afghanistan.
	Separately, a number of military units have also conducted routine training at RAF Akrotiri in the past 12 months. The full list of military units, together with their deployment dates, is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Since 26 August 2013, the Ministry of Defence has deployed the following military assets with supporting personnel to RAF Akrotiri:
	Six Typhoon fast jets in the air defence role.
	Two Tri-Star air-to-air refuelling aircraft; one Tri-Star returned to the UK on 4 September 2013.
	One E3D Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) Command and Control aircraft.
	A Type 101 Radar to increase air surveillance coverage in the region.

RAF Akrotiri

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on the education of the children of armed forces personnel based at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus, in each year since 2010.

Mark Francois: The amount spent on providing education for children attending school in Akrotiri in each year since 2010 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Amount (£ million) 
			 2010-11 1.978 
			 2011-12 1.942 
			 2012-13 1.971 
		
	
	These figures are for children attending Akrotiri Primary School and include children of both Ministry of Defence service and civilian personnel.
	Children of secondary school age living at RAF Akrotiri attend school in Episkopi. It would not be possible in the time available to extract the data required to determine the costs incurred for secondary school pupils whose parents are based at RAF Akrotiri.

RAF Akrotiri

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which NATO member states have sent (a) maritime patrol aircraft and (b) high altitude surveillance aircraft to RAF Akrotiri since June 2013; which aircraft were sent; and what the purposes were of their visits.

Andrew Robathan: No NATO member states have sent maritime patrol aircraft or high altitude surveillance aircraft to RAF Akrotiri since June 2013; however, an Italian Air Force Gulfstream G3 surveillance aircraft was deployed to RAF Akrotiri from 15 June until 15 July 2013 in support of UN operations in Lebanon.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training of Syrian Army personnel has taken place in British Overseas Territories since 2001.

Andrew Robathan: There is no corporate recollection of any training of Syrian army personnel taking place in the British Overseas Territories since 2001.

Territorial Army

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) current and (b) former units within the Territorial Army have had expertise in signals and cyber/electronic warfare; and from which locations such units were recruited.

Andrew Robathan: The details of signals units in the Territorial Army prior to the changes under Army 2020 and those that will be part of the Army Reserve are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Unit Sub Unit and Detachment Locations Pre Army 2020 Sub Unit and Detachment Locations Post Army 2020 
			 32(nd) Signal Regiment Belfast Darlington East Kilbride Edinburgh Glasgow Hartlepool Liverpool Londonderry Manchester Aberdeen Belfast Dundee East Kilbride Edinburgh Glasgow Londonderry 
			    
			 37(th) Signal Regiment Birmingham Cambridge Cardiff Colchester Coventry Redditch Stratford upon Avon Birmingham Coventry Darlington Leeds Liverpool Manchester Nottingham Redditch Sheffield 
			    
			 38(th) Signal Regiment Aberdeen Banbury Bletchley Coulsdon Dundee Kingston upon Thames Leeds Nottingham Rugby Sheffield Withdrawn from the order of battle 
			    
			 39(th) Signal Regiment Aylesbury Brighton Bristol Eastbourne Gloucester Windsor Bath Bristol Cardiff Gloucester Windsor 
			    
			 71(st) (City of London) Yeomanry Signal Regiment Bexleyheath Chelmsford Lincolns Inn Southfields Uxbridge Whipps Cross Bexleyheath Chelmsford Colchester Coulsdon Lincolns Inn Uxbridge Whipps Cross 
		
	
	In addition, the following Reserve signals elements formed part of the Territorial Army and remain in the Army Reserves order of battle. These elements recruit nationally and will continue to do so. They are fully integrated into Regular Army regiments or Joint (tri-service) organisations as shown:
	
		
			 Sub-Unit Integrated with: Comment 
			 81 Signal Squadron 10(th) Signal Regiment — 
			 Land Information Communications Support Group 15(th) Signal Regiment (Information Support) — 
			 Land Information Assurance Group Joint Cyber Unit (Reserves) Army contribution to tri-service unit 
			 Joint Service Signals Unit (Reserves) Joint Service Signals Organisation Army contribution to tri-service unit

EDUCATION

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the role is of his Department's Academies Presumption Team.

Edward Timpson: Under Section 14 of the Education Act 1996, local authorities must plan and secure sufficient schools for their area. Where a local authority identifies the need to establish a new school, Section 6A of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (the 'academy presumption'), requires it to seek proposals for an academy or free school. The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), decides the successful proposal.
	The Academy Presumption team's role within the Department for Education is to advise local authorities in meeting their obligations under the legislation and to advise my the Secretary of State during the decision making process.

Children: Day Care

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to reduce the cost of childcare.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government published More Affordable Childcare in July, which set out the steps we are taking to reduce the costs of child care.
	More Affordable Childcare sets out plans to:
	1. help families to meet the costs of child care
	2. increase the amount of affordable provision
	3. give parents the right information so they can make informed choices about child care
	Copies are available online at the Department for Education's website(1) and in the Library.
	(1) Available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/more-affordable-childcare

Children: Day Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment has been made by his Department on the extent of provision of holiday child care for (a) all age groups, (b) disabled children and (c) children living in rural areas.

Elizabeth Truss: The latest available information is for 2011 when it is estimated that there were 7,900 holiday clubs offering child care(1).
	Table 1 provides national estimates of the age breakdown of children who attended holiday clubs in 2011.
	
		
			 Table 1 
			 Age Holiday club attendees (%) 
			 Under 2 years old 7 
			 2 years old 9 
			 3 years old 11 
			 4 years old 11 
			 5 to 7 years old 30 
			 8 to 10 years old 25 
			 11 years or older 7 
			 Source: Table 4.20b Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2011(2). 
		
	
	Table 2 provides national estimates of the proportion of holiday clubs caring for children with disabilities in 2011.
	
		
			 Table 2 
			 Caring for Holiday clubs (%) 
			 Minor disabilities 41 
			 Moderate disabilities 35 
			 Severe disabilities 13 
			 Does not currently care for children with disabilities 43 
			 Source: Table 4.20 Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey 2011. 
		
	
	Data is not available on the extent of provision of holiday child care for children living in rural areas.
	(1 )The Department for Education's Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the number of holiday clubs in England that provide holiday care for children under the age of eight. Where these providers also offer care for children over eight, information on this is collected.
	(2 )https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-and-early-years-providers-survey-2011

Conferences

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which external conferences he attended in an official capacity in 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: To retrieve and compile this information would exceed disproportionate cost.

Education: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to announce the calculation of the return funds to local authorities following the 2012-13 top-slicing for academies; and when local authorities will receive this payment.

David Laws: I refer the hon. Member to her previous question answered on 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 707W.

GCSE

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to Table 3 in his Department's publication, GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics in England: 2011 to 2012, if he will further disaggregate those results by ethnicity from the broad categories of ethnicity listed at (a) local authority and (b) Government Office Region level.

David Laws: A table containing disaggregated ethnicity breakdowns by (a) local authority and (b) region for the Department's headline indicator ‘pupils achieving 5+ A*-C grades inc English & mathematics GCSEs’, for the academic year 2011/12, has been placed in the House Library.
	Information for the other achievement indicators presented in Table 3 in the Department's publication, GCSE and equivalent attainment by pupil characteristics in England: 2011 to 2012, could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Likewise a gender breakdown and data for past years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

GCSE

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children in (a) England and (b) Kettering constituency failed to achieve a grade C in (i) mathematics and (ii) English at GCSE level in the last year for which figures are available.

David Laws: The requested information has been provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 not achieving A*-C grades in English and in mathematics GCSE(1 )in 2011/12(2,3,4) 
			  Number of eligible pupils Number of KS4 pupils not achieving an A*-C grade in English Number of KS4 pupils not achieving an A*-C grade in mathematics 
			 England 559,076 184,061 170,589 
			 Kettering 1,112 401 327 
			 (1) Figures include results in full GCSEs, double award GCSEs, accredited international certificates (iGCSEs) and their predecessor iGCSEs and AS levels. (2) Figures are based on the postcode of the school location covering all state-funded schools including academies and free schools. (3) Final data. (4) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas but otherwise include all those pupils at the end of KS4 regardless of whether or not they entered the subject. Source: National Pupil Database

Primary Education: South Yorkshire

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment he has made of the number of primary school places available in (a) South Yorkshire and (b) Barnsley in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

David Laws: The Department collects information from each local authority on the number of school places (school capacity) in state funded primary and secondary schools (except special schools) via an annual survey(1).
	South Yorkshire consists of four local authorities: Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. The following information relates to the position as at May 2012 and provides the number of places to be added by 2013/14 as advised by each local authority:
	
		
			  2012 number of primary schools 2012 capacity LA advised primary places to be added by 2013/14 
			 Barnsley 80 19,187 0 
			 Doncaster 100 27,106 360 
			 Rotherham 98 23,218 617 
		
	
	
		
			 Sheffield 133 44,400 444 
		
	
	(1) Available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-capacity-academic-year-2011-to-2012

Schools: Inspections

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the appeals process for Ofsted inspections; and if he will make a statement.

David Laws: Ofsted as a non-ministerial Government Department is responsible for its own complaints arrangements. The inspectorate introduced a revised complaints process in April this year following a public consultation exercise. Changes included strengthening the process to encourage resolution of concerns before the end of an inspection. Ofsted will review the effectiveness of these changes as part of its monitoring of the implementation of the new arrangements.
	The Department for Education is responsible for managing the contract for the independent complaints adjudication service for Ofsted. The service handles complaints for complainants who remain dissatisfied with the outcome of Ofsted's internal complaints process. The contract for the adjudication service was awarded in January 2013 and there are currently no plans to review these arrangements.

Schools: Inspections

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what processes his Department has put in place to monitor the quality of Ofsted inspections carried out by sub-contracted companies.

David Laws: Ofsted as a non-ministerial Government Department has direct responsibility for its inspection arrangements. This includes the management of, and the monitoring of performance for, its contracts with inspection service providers who engage additional inspectors to deliver inspections on behalf of Ofsted. Where matters of concern are raised with the Department, these are passed to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector to investigate.

Schools: Playing Fields

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools and local authorities have (a) sought and (b) been granted permission to change the use of playing fields by putting school buildings on them since February 2012.

David Laws: holding answer 2 September 2013
	I refer the hon. Member to parliamentary question number 167025, answered today.

Schools: Playing Fields

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many schools and local authorities have (a) sought and (b) been granted permission to change the use of playing fields by putting classrooms on them since February 2012.

David Laws: holding answer 2 September 2013
	Prior to 2012, no protection at all existed to prevent schools putting school buildings on playing fields. Schools could build over playing fields without seeking consent and with impunity. This led to the disappearance of thousands of playing fields—Fields in Trust (formerly The National Playing Field Association) estimated 2,540 playing fields, or 26 sites a month, were lost between 1997 and 2005. This Government has introduced protections on playing fields where there were none before, so that schools and local authorities now have to seek permission if they want to change the use of public playing fields by putting school buildings on them. We now require schools to apply for consent even where the buildings are being used for education or recreational purposes.
	When considering applications to place school buildings on playing fields we take into account the amount of playing field a school will be left with after the building work, whether there will be any impact on sport and play, and the reason for the proposed change.
	Since February 2012, there have been 128 applications to change the use of school playing fields by putting school buildings on them. Of these: 104 applied to build classrooms and 24 applied to build other structures such as an extension to the school kitchens or the widening of a cycle path.
	As the Minister responsible, I have approved 70 proposals to build classrooms, with 34 currently being considered and 18 other buildings with six currently being considered.
	The vast majority of these applications seek consent to use small areas of outdoor space not used for sport, to extend school facilities in areas of severe pupil place pressure or to improve the school facilities, with no effect on the delivery of the curriculum or pupils' space to play. The average amount of playing field built on by the 88 schools given consent to do so since the new rules came into effect in February 2012 is 3.90% of their total playing field space. In every case the land is retained for educational use.

Schools: Vocational Guidance

Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what the date and location was of each visit Ministers of his Department have made to maintained schools that have secured external provision of independent, impartial careers advice since September 2012;
	(2)  what the date and location was of each visit he has made to maintained schools that have secured external provision of independent, impartial careers advice since September 2012.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department does not collect data on how the maintained schools visited by the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), or his Ministers, secure and deliver careers guidance or the number or proportion doing so through different routes.

Teachers: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) teachers and (b) special educational needs support staff have been awarded scholarships by the National Scholarship Fund to develop specialist knowledge and skills in (i) Pendle and (ii) Lancashire since May 2010.

David Laws: The National Scholarship Fund for teachers and special educational needs (SEN) support staff is administered by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. The scholarships are awarded where applications are judged to be of sufficient merit.
	In round one (2011/12) of the National Scholarship Fund the number of teachers who received a National Scholarship Fund award in Pendle was eight and the number of teachers who received a National Scholarship Fund award in Lancashire was 14.
	In round two (2012/13), the National Scholarship Fund invited invitations from teachers and SEN support staff. The number of teachers who received a National Scholarship Fund award in Pendle was 0 and in Lancashire were four. The number of SEN support staff who received a National Scholarship Fund award in Pendle was two and in Lancashire was seven.
	Round three (2013/14) of the National Scholarship Fund has recently made offers of funding to 514 teachers and SEN support staff. Until successful scholars accept their award, exact numbers for Pendle and Lancashire cannot be finalised.

Teachers: Qualifications

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider allowing Early Years PGCE students who have failed the Numeracy QTS skills test to resit that test within one year.

David Laws: On 1 September 2012, a limit to the number of attempts permitted at the skills tests in literacy and numeracy was introduced as part of wider Government policy to raise the standard of those entering the teaching profession. Students who do not meet the requirements within three attempts will not be able to attempt the tests again for a two-year period. There are no current plans to review this limit, but we will continue to monitor closely the impact of the tests.

Working Parties

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he is a member of any of his Department's ministerial working groups.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education's working assumption is that the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is a standing member of all its ministerial working groups.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, 
	(1)  on how many occasions in each year since the formation of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority its (a) Chairman, (b) Board members, (c) Chief Executive and (d) chief officers have visited the constituency offices of hon. Members; and in each case if he will list those constituencies;
	(2)  on how many occasions in each year since the formation of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority its (a) chairman, (b) board members, (c) chief executive and (d) chief officers have met individual hon. Members excluding Ministers to ascertain what the work of a Member of Parliament entails; and in each case if he will list the hon. or Right hon. Members concerned.

Charles Walker: holding answer 16 July 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about meetings with MPs and visits to constituency offices.
	IPSA Board Members and staff from across the organisation regularly meet and visit MPs as part of their duties. For example:
	the four ordinary members of the Board of IPSA who took office in January 2013 have carried out a programme of induction, which has included the shadowing of MPs both in their constituencies and in Westminster as appropriate.
	The policy team visited eight constituency offices in the winter of 2011/12 as part of the review of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.
	It is not possible to provide the total number of visits and meetings, as not all of these are recorded centrally. Releasing only the centrally held figures would provide an incomplete and inaccurate picture.
	Given the need for IPSA to maintain effective working relationships with MPs and their staff, I do not intend to release the names or constituencies of those MPs with whom we have met.

Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, if he will make it his policy that the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) should provide specific funds to enable hon. and Right hon. Members to publish an annual report to constituents as suggested by IPSA.

Charles Walker: holding answer 16 July 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the proposals of an annual reporting mechanism for MPs.
	IPSA has proposed an annual reporting mechanism for MPs in the next Parliament in its consultation paper ‘MPs' Pay and Pensions: A New Package, July 2013’. The precise nature of any such report, or its means of communication, have not yet been agreed. Therefore it is too early to make any observations about funding.

Meetings

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority on how many occasions (a) Government Ministers and (b) Treasury officials have had meetings with the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in each month of 2013 to date.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking on how many occasions IPSA has met with Government Ministers and with Treasury officials.
	The information requested is set out in the following table. The figures shown do not include meetings where the participants were not acting in their capacity as members of the Board or staff of IPSA.
	
		
			  Meetings with Government Ministers Meetings with Treasury officials 
			 January 2 0 
			 February 1 0 
			 March 0 2 
			 April 1 1 
			 May 1 0 
			 June 4 1 
			 July 4 1 
			 August 0 0

Members' Staff

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, how many hon. Members were given contingency payments to allow additional allocation to their staffing budget in the (a) last financial year and (b) current financial year; and what was the total sum paid out in such fashion.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about contingency funding.
	MPs who believe they need more funding may apply to IPSA's contingency panel, demonstrating why their circumstances are exceptional.
	In 2012/13, 36 MPs received uplifts to their staffing expenditure budgets. The total value of these uplifts was £182,497. In 2013/14 (to 30 August), 5 MPs have received uplifts to their staffing expenditure budgets. The total value of these uplifts was £27,991.
	These figures represent approved uplifts and do not necessarily indicate that an MP will make claims equal to the amount of the uplift. The total sums actually claimed by each MP under each budget heading are published annually on our website:
	www.parliamentary-standards.org.uk
	The latest annual figures, for 2012-13, will be published on 12 September 2013.
	The figures above do not include routine uplifts to provide cover for MPs' staff members on long-term sick leave or maternity, paternity or adoption leave. Those uplifts do not require approval by the Contingency Panel and are managed by the IPSA payroll team.

Members' Staff

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in financial year ending 2012-13, how many hon. Members had more than £1,000 unallocated in their staffing allocation in financial year 2012-13; and how much of the total available for staff salaries remained unallocated at the end of that financial year.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about MPs' staffing expenditure.
	As at 4 September 2013, there were 620 MPs whose staffing expenditure fell £1,000 or more below their budget limit for the 2012/13 financial year.
	As of the same date, the total expenditure by all MPs on staffing expenditure (which includes staff salaries, employer's National Insurance Contributions, employer's pension contributions and other staffing costs) was £14,520,632.77 below the combined limit of all MPs' staffing expenditure budgets.

Selsdon Park Hotel

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority if he will publish a breakdown of the costs associated with the two-day gathering at the Selsdon Park Hotel to discuss remuneration proposals for hon. Members.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 213
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the IPSA Board meeting in Croydon.
	The total cost was £2,008.50 for 13 delegates, which equates to £154.50 per person. This cost included conference facilities, overnight accommodation and refreshments (including meals and hot drinks, but no alcoholic beverages).

Selsdon Park Hotel

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority on what dates (a) board members and (b) staff of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority attended the Selsdon Park Hotel to discuss remuneration proposals for hon. Members; whether other locations were considered for the meeting; and who attended.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about the IPSA Board meeting in Croydon.
	The meeting took place over 24 hours from lunchtime on Sunday 14 April to lunchtime on Monday 15 April. The venue was selected after a procurement exercise, in which other venues were considered, in line with best practice.
	The meeting was attended by the IPSA Board and senior members of the IPSA Executive team.

Standards

Lindsay Roy: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority what steps IPSA is taking to improve its efficiency and effectiveness.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about IPSA's efficiency and effectiveness.
	IPSA is improving both its efficiency and effectiveness.
	The Main Estimate for 2012-13 included a 6% reduction in resources over the previous year to fund IPSA's operating costs. We achieved these savings in 2012-13 by:
	sub-letting part of our accommodation, yielding savings of over £500,000;
	implementing new working practices to automate elements of the claims validation process; and
	improving the operation of the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses by offering MPs the ability to purchase stationery on line, introducing a self service report allowing MPs to review current and projected spend on staffing, and introducing online timesheets for MPs' staff.
	One example of the improved efficiency is the reduction in the time taken to process claims. In the financial year 2012-13 processing a claim for payment took, on average, 9.6 days from the receipt of the supporting evidence. Our current performance is 7.13 days.
	The Estimate for 2013-14 includes a further 5% reduction in resources to fund IPSA's operating costs. IPSA is currently implementing changes to deliver the efficiency savings of 5% and to continue with operational improvements to the MPs' Scheme of Business Costs and Expenses.

Treasury

Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, on which dates the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) has held meetings with (a) Ministers and (b) officials of HM Treasury since 1 January 2013; which Ministers and officials attended each such meeting; and what subjects were discussed at each such meeting.

Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
	Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 5 September 2013
	As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking about meetings between representatives of IPSA and HM Treasury.
	Since 1 January 2013 the following meetings between representatives of IPSA and HM Treasury took place.
	On 7 March, the Director of Finance and Operations met Treasury officials.
	On 6 April, an IPSA official met Treasury officials.
	On 25 June, an IPSA official met Treasury officials.
	On 6 April, an IPSA official met Treasury officials.
	On 10 July, the Director of Policy and Communications and another IPSA official met Treasury officials.
	On 19 April, the Director of Finance and Operations met Treasury officials.
	On 19 July, the Chair and Chief Executive met the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. HM Treasury officials were also present.
	These meetings covered a variety of issues relating to IPSA's statutory responsibilities.
	I do not intend to provide further details of these meetings as to do so may inhibit free and frank discussions in the future.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Taxation

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what conditions relating to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund or World Bank tax-related rules and guidance his Department places on developing nations in receipt of UK official development assistance.

Alan Duncan: The UK does not place specific conditions relating to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Monetary Fund or World Bank tax-related rules and guidance, on developing nations in receipt of UK official development assistance.

JUSTICE

Electronic Government: Welsh Language

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he plans to make it possible to pay fines on the Government website www.gov.uk/Cymraeg through the medium of Welsh.

Helen Grant: There are no immediate plans to translate the fine payment webpage into Welsh. The Government Digital Service will be evaluating data on Welsh language pages and searches on GOV.UK in December 2013 and will consider adding more pages based on evidence of demand.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the timetable is for awarding the new tagging contracts.

Jeremy Wright: Having announced preferred bidders on 20 August, we hope to be in a position to award contracts towards the end of the year.

Juries: Mental Illness

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review policy on the disqualification for life from jury service of people who have had mental health problems.

Helen Grant: Eligibility for jury service is regulated by the Juries Act 1974. It does not disqualify for life those who have had mental health problems.
	Furthermore, the Government recently supported a Private Members Bill—now the Mental Health (Discrimination) Act 2013—which provides that those voluntarily receiving treatment for a mental health condition are no longer disqualified from jury service.

Legal Aid Scheme

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effect of his proposed changes to legal aid on victims of human trafficking.

Jeremy Wright: At around £2 billion a year we have one of the most expensive legal aid systems of its type in the world. The consultation paper, “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system”, contained a range of measures aimed at reducing the cost of and promoting public confidence in the legal aid scheme, including a proposal that those applying for civil legal aid should have a strong connection to the UK (with exceptions for asylum seekers, serving members of Her Majesty's armed forces and their immediate families).
	We have analysed responses to our consultation carefully and will publish our response shortly.

Offenders: EU Nationals

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many non-UK EU nationals in (a) Bassetlaw constituency and (b) England received prison sentences of two or more years in each of the last five years; and how many such nationals were (i) recommended for deportation, (ii) deported and (iii) not deported.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case. It is not possible to identify from this centrally held information the nationality of offenders sentenced for criminal offences.
	However, the best alternative for these figures are the prison statistics in the following table, which presents the number of sentenced receptions into custody of non-UK EU nationals between 2008 and 2012 in England. There were no receptions of non-UK EU nationals into prisons in Bassetlaw constituency between 2008 and 2012.
	It is Government policy to extend or negotiate compulsory prisoner transfer agreements with other countries.
	We have voluntary prisoner transfer agreements with more than 100 countries, allowing prisoners to serve their sentences in their home countries.
	
		
			 EU sentenced receptions, sentences of two years or more, 2008-2012, England 
			  All 
			 2008 658 
			 2009 776 
			 2010 (July to December)(1) 412 
			 2011 822 
			 2012 928 
			 (1) Data for January to June 2010 is not available

Pornography

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward legislative proposals to make the possession of pornography depicting rape a criminal offence.

Helen Grant: The Prime Minister has recently announced plans to extend the existing extreme pornography offence to cover the possession of images of rape. We will bring forward legislation on this issue when parliamentary time allows.

Regulation

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the title is of each regulation his Department (a) introduced and (b) revoked in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013 to date; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The information is as follows:
	(a) Since 2010, the Ministry of Justice has introduced the following regulatory measures as set out in the Government Statements of New Regulation (SNR):
	EU Maintenance Order;
	Implementation of the Legal Services Act 2007;
	Amendment of the Client Specific rule 6(b) of the Claims Management Regulator's Conduct of Authorised Persons Rules 2007;
	Claims Management Rules Review (Phase 2);
	Referral Fees in Personal Injury Claims;
	Reform of Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales (Jackson);
	Scheme Rules for the Office of Legal Complaints (Legal Ombudsman).
	(b) The Ministry of Justice has not revoked any regulation since 2010 to date.
	The latest Statement (SNR6) covering the period July to December 2013 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/211164/bis-l3-p96a-sixth-statement-of-new-regulation.pdf

Squatting

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of changes in the prevalence of squatting in commercial premises following the introduction of the criminal provisions contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Damian Green: We are aware of reports that the offence of squatting in a residential building, which came into force last September, might be encouraging squatters to occupy non-residential buildings. We are monitoring this situation closely and are not ruling out further action if needed. If he is aware of evidence to suggest that instances of squatting in non-residential buildings have increased in the Shipley area since the offence was introduced, we will look closely at any information he has.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer question 161697, tabled by the hon. Member for Bristol North West on 20 June 2013 for answer on 25 June 2013.

Jeremy Wright: I understand that you have now received a response to your parliamentary question and I apologise for the delay.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Adjournment Debates

David Amess: To ask the Leader of the House pursuant to the contribution of the hon. Member for Southend West of 18 July 2013, Official Report, columns 1381-3, when the hon. Member will receive replies from the Government relating to the issues which he raised.

Tom Brake: Following the hon. Member’s excellent contribution at the Pre-recess Adjournment debate of 18 July, my office commissioned a response from Her Majesty's Treasury. The Department responded to the hon. Member on 16 August 2013. My office will be able to assist the hon. Member should he have any further queries on this matter.

Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  what discussions he has held with Ministers of the Northern Ireland Executive on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill;
	(2)  how many meetings he has held with representatives of (a) FTSE 100 companies, (b) charities, (c) non-governmental organisations and (d) trades unions on the Transparency of Lobbying, Non- Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill.

Andrew Lansley: Officials in the Cabinet Office have worked closely with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Office prior to introduction of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Bill. The Minister for Political and Constitutional Reform, my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich North (Miss Smith), subsequently wrote to the Northern Ireland Executive after introduction of the Bill.
	Details of my meetings with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis and can be accessed on GOV.UK at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/series/ministers-transparency-publications
	Information for the period April-June 2013 will be published shortly.

PRIME MINISTER

Russia

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister if he will raise the matter of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex rights with President Putin at the forthcoming G20 meeting in Russia.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bristol East on 4 September 2013, Official Report, column 381W.

TRANSPORT

Blue Badge Scheme

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the automatic renewal of blue badges for eligible persons whose disability will not improve.

Norman Baker: The Government seeks to address the needs of severely disabled people by providing automatic badge eligibility to people who are already in receipt of certain mobility awards (including, for example, under Disability Living Allowance). Badge renewal for these people should involve little more than verifying that their award and personal details are correct.
	To improve the scheme, we have introduced a new, joined up system across Great Britain and all badge details are now held electronically. Therefore, even for those who do not have automatic eligibility, where the disability will clearly not improve the renewal process should be a straightforward process.
	Blue Badges are issued for a period of 3 years as there is a need to ensure on a regular basis that personal data remain up to date so that the scheme remains both efficient and secure.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what comparison his Department has made between investment in High Speed 2 and investing the same amount in upgrading track gauges and associated works across the network in order to increase capacity.

Simon Burns: The Department has considered, on several occasions, a range of high level alternative packages to HS2, most recently in the Atkins study 'High Speed Rail Strategic Alternatives: Update Following consultation' which is available on the Department's website.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3664/hs2-strategic-alternatives-study-update.pdf
	Alongside HS2, the Government is investing heavily in the conventional rail network. Network Rail will invest £37.5 billion in the UK's rail infrastructure in Control Period 5 (2014-19).

Marine Management Organisation

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions Ministers in his Department have had with their Ministerial colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to resolve outstanding issues in relation to the Marin Management Organisation.

Stephen Hammond: The Department for Transport is not aware of any outstanding issues relating to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).
	The Department for Transport (DFT) is a sponsoring Department of the MMO, and as such we have interests in most aspects of the Organisation's work which includes marine planning and licensing, conservation, and fisheries management.
	A ministerial roundtable is currently being set up to discuss ports planning and environmental matters. This will include MMO and relevant Ministers from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	I meet the MMO's chief executive on a quarterly basis to discuss all matters of interest to the DFT. In addition, a senior official from this Department is a member of a cross-Government Sponsorship Group which provides support and advice to DEFRA's Secretary of State on the discharge of the MMO's responsibilities under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009.

Rolling Stock

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to British Standard BS EN15663:2009, Railway applications, what the (a) usable standing area vehicle reference and (b) definition of vehicle reference masses is for (i) long distance and (ii) other rolling stock currently in use on the UK rail network or on order for future use; when that standard was last revised; and what the usable standing area vehicle reference and definition of vehicle reference masses were under the previous version of that standard.

Simon Burns: Standing area is defined as: The unobstructed area which can be used by passenger (e.g. vestibule, corridor, stairways, wheelchair area…).
	The definitions of mass are contained in section 2.1 of the standard. These include: dead mass, design mass, design mass in working order, design mass under normal payload, design mass under exceptional payload, operational mass, operational mass in working order and operational mass under normal payload.
	These characteristics are the same for both long distance and other rolling stock. The standard applies appropriate values to each of the mass definitions for each type of train. This standard was approved on 23 April 2009 and came into force by November (each member state has to individually adopt the standard).
	This was the first issue of the standard, prepared under a mandate given to CEN by the European Commission and the European Free Trade Association, and supports essential requirements of EU Directive 2008/57/EC so does not directly replace any previous standard.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Broadband

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to which enterprise zones superfast broadband has been made available to date.

Edward Vaizey: Superfast broadband is available in part, or throughout the following enterprise zones:
	
		
			 Enterprise zone Current superfast broadband availability 
			 Cornwall Aerohub Available 
			 Sandwich Discovery Park Available 
			 MIRA Leicestershire Available 
			 Sci-Tech Daresbury Available 
			 London Royal Docks Available 
			 Manchester Airport City Partial availability 
			 New Anglia Partial availability 
			 Nottingham Partial availability 
			 Black Country Partial availability 
			 Bristol Temple Quarter Partial availability 
			 Tees Valley Partial availability 
			 Hereford Skylon Park Partial availability 
			 North Eastern Partial availability 
			 Humber Partial availability 
			 Birmingham Partial availability 
			 Northampton Waterside Partial availability

Broadband: North Yorkshire

Nigel Adams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people in rural areas of North Yorkshire who have access to superfast broadband have been provided with such access through government programmes since May 2010. [R]

Edward Vaizey: The Government-supported project in North Yorkshire has to date increased superfast broadband availability for over 50,000 premises.

Creative Industries Council

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how often the Creative Industries Council has met in the last 12 months; and how often that body will meet in the next 12 months.

Edward Vaizey: In the last 12 months, the industry-led Creative Industries Council met on 31 January and 5 June. It is scheduled to meet on 27 November this year, and three times in 2014. Minutes from all CIC meetings are placed on the gov.uk website. Sub-groups have been set up for each of the priority areas identified by the CIC, who each meet on a regular basis to take forward work programmes for their areas. In addition, Ministers and officials hold regular meetings with the chair and individual member organisations of CIC, and those in the wider creative industries.

Gambling

Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many gambling operators (a) were investigated and (b) received warnings or punitive action as a result of breaching self-exclusion agreements in each year since 2009.

Hugh Robertson: To date, no operators have received formal regulatory sanctions as a result of self-exclusion agreements being breached. However, as part of the Commission's ongoing compliance work, it regularly engages with licensed operators on this issue and has worked with them, on particular cases, to improve effectiveness. The Gambling Commission requirements are that operators have effective procedures for self-exclusion as part of their licence conditions and that they, take all reasonable steps, to refuse service or otherwise prevent an individual, who has entered a self-exclusion agreement, from participating in gambling.

Gambling

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps is she taking to tackle problem gambling; and if she will make a statement.

Hugh Robertson: All commercial gambling in Great Britain is subject to extensive regulatory controls, based on the three statutory objectives of keeping crime out of gambling, making sure it is fair and open and protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited. All licensed gambling operators are required to put in place effective policies and procedures to achieve these objectives. While we recognise that gambling problems can have a very serious impact on individuals, their friends and families and their communities, our system of gambling regulation has contributed to a relatively low rate of problem gambling in the adult population of around 0.9%. Nevertheless, we will continue to bring pressure to bear on the gambling industry to ensure the right balance is struck between the need to protect the vulnerable and the position of gambling as a mainstream leisure activity.

Internet: Bullying

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment analysis her Department has made of the effect of sexist abuse online on the numbers of women entering (a) journalism, (b) politics and (c) other areas of public life; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Director of Public Prosecutions published guidelines on cases involving communications sent by social media in June this year. This guidance makes clear that in cases where communications constitute credible threats of violence or specifically target an individual or individuals should be robustly prosecuted.
	There are instances where content does not cross the criminal threshold but may not meet the acceptable use policies social media platforms have in place. Where this is the case, Government expects social media companies to have robust processes in place for enforcing such policies, including the removal of content and the suspension or termination of accounts as appropriate.
	Online abuse does not just affect the individuals directly involved, but the wider community of women and men. Ministers in my team have met with a number of stakeholders who campaign against sexist abuse online, and we will continue to listen to proposals for positive action in this area through the women's engagement programme.

Public Libraries

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress her Department has made on introducing a national library card.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England are currently testing automatic library membership for children and young people cards. There are 22 pilot projects across England and the aspiration is that it will lead to an increase in children, young people and families using their local libraries and stimulate more reading for pleasure.

Social Networking

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance her Department gives to social networking sites with headquarters in the UK on the legality of content produced by their users.

Edward Vaizey: Government do not provide guidance on the legality of content posted on the internet.
	What is illegal offline is also illegal online and where illegal content is posted, law enforcement action should be, and is, taken. There will be instances where content does not cross the criminal threshold but may not meet the acceptable use policies social networking sites have in place. Where this is the case, Government expect such sites to have robust processes in place for enforcing such policies, including the removal of content and the suspension or termination of accounts as appropriate.

Social Networking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to (a) reduce the number of threatening messages and harassment of women on social media platforms and (b) ensure that all platforms improve the ease of reporting such abuse; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: The Director of Public Prosecutions published guidelines on cases involving communications sent by social media in June this year. This guidance makes clear that in cases where communications constitute credible threats of violence or specifically target an individual or individuals should be robustly prosecuted.
	Social media platforms also have a role to play in ensuring that their acceptable use policies and the processes for enforcing them, including reporting processes, the removal of content and the suspension or termination of accounts as appropriate, are robust.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many of her Department's jobs have been relocated from London to each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Hugh Robertson: No jobs have been relocated from London. The Department has always been, and remains, located in London.

Young People: Suicide

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to remove the option of anonymity for uses of websites associated with teenage suicides.

Edward Vaizey: The Government expects all social media to make it easy for users to choose not to receive anonymous posts, to have simple mechanisms for reporting abuse, and to take action promptly when abuse is reported. Anonymity online is an important protection for people living in oppressive regimes around the world, but we expect the industry to ensure that all parents and children have the tools and information they need to use social media safely.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Business

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2013, Official Report, column 425W, on greenhouse gas emissions, what steps he is taking to encourage energy companies to limit carbon emissions in their own business activities.

Gregory Barker: The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) incentivises participants to reduce emissions, putting a price on carbon by placing a cap on total EU greenhouse gas emissions from the power and industrial sectors and enabling trading of allowances to ensure emissions reductions are delivered cost efficiently.
	The UK has also introduced a carbon price floor designed to top up the EU ETS carbon price to a target minimum level for the UK electricity generation sector, which sends an early and credible signal to drive investment in low-carbon electricity generation.
	The UK's CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme (CRC) is designed to encourage large public and private sector organisations to reduce their emissions through energy efficiency. Energy companies have non-power generating emissions captured by the CRC.
	The CRC is intended to change corporate behaviour, by increasing corporate awareness of energy usage and improve energy management.

Energy

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the total cost to (a) consumers, (b) industry and (c) government of energy and climate change policies in each year since 2002; and what the costs have been of each such policy. [R]

Gregory Barker: The Government publishes an annual estimate of the impacts of all climate change and energy policies on energy prices and bills for households, medium-sized businesses and energy-intensive industries. The most recent report was published in March 2013(1), showing the estimated impacts on prices and bills for 2013, 2020 and 2030.
	We do not have estimates of the total costs to consumers of all policies in each year since 2002. However, Table 1 provides cost information that is available for policies which place obligations into energy suppliers, who pass the costs onto consumers through their energy bills.
	This is the most up-to-date information available, but for some policies this is not available on an annual basis and costs are shown over the entire lifetime of the policy. Costs are shown for calendar years or financial years depending on the policy in question.
	In terms of how these costs fall on different consumers, the Government does not dictate whether and how policy costs are passed on through energy bills and it remains up to the energy supplier if and how to recover these costs. Therefore it is not possible to be definitive about how these costs have been recovered across different consumers (i.e. households and businesses) over a number of years.
	Our assumption however is that companies will pass on the costs the way they are levied, typically on the basis of relevant units of energy supplied. For those policies that apply to both households and non-domestic consumers (eg the renewables obligation and feed-in-tariffs) our assumption is that, approximately one-third of the costs fall on households and two-thirds on the non-domestic sector—reflecting their respective shares of total electricity consumption.
	There are also some policies (eg energy supplier obligations such as CERT) which only apply to households and are only assumed to be levied on them, while others (eg the climate change levy) only apply to non-domestic consumers. However, taken as a whole, approximately one-third of policy costs faced by energy suppliers are assumed to be passed directly onto household bills.
	There are a number of policies that are funded through general taxation. These include up to £1 billion for the CCS commercialisation competition, around £200 million capital funding to support the launch of the Green Deal, the Renewable Heat Incentive (£1.9 million and £27.4 million in 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively (2012-13 prices) and the renewable heat premium payment (£9.5 million and £12.7 million in 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively (2012-13 prices(2)).
	
		
			 Table 1: Estimated costs of energy and climate change policies since 2002 
			 Policy Time period considered Estimated cost to date (£ billion, Real 2012 prices) 
			 Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) I April 2002-March 2005 (3)0.5 
			 Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC) II April 2005-March 2008 1.1 
			 Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) April 2008-March 2011 (4)3.4 
			 Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) Extension April 2011-December 2012 2.0 
			 Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) October 2009-December 2012 0.3 
		
	
	
		
			 Policy Time period considered Estimated cost to date (£ billion, Real 2012-13 prices) 
			 Feed in Tariffs(5) (FiTs)* 2010-11 0.01 
			  2011-12 0.15 
			  2012-13 0.50 
			    
			 Renewables Obligation(6)* (RO) 2002-03 0.38 
			  2003-04 0.56 
			  2004-05 0.64 
			  2005-06 0.73 
			  2006-07 0.88 
			  2007-08 1.04 
			  2008-09 1.18 
			  2009-10 1.23 
			  2010-11 1.42 
			  2011-12 1.53 
			  2012-13 1.99 
			    
			 Warm Home Discount(7)* 2011-12 0.24 
			    
			 Climate Change Levy(8)* See footnote 
		
	
	
		
			 * Active policies (1) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills (2) Source—DECC Annual Reports and Accounts: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13 (3) Calculations of EEC I, EEC II, are based on an evaluation of costs by Eoin Lees Energy, Available at http://eoinleesenergy.com/ (4) Calculations of CERT, CERT Extension and CESP are based on impact assessments published by DECC. (5) Costs represent FITs Levelisation Fund, and include generation payments, deemed export payments claimed by generators, qualifying (administration) costs claimed by FIT licensees, minus the value of deemed export to licensed electricity suppliers. Figures for 2010-11 and 2011-12 are taken from the Ofgem Annual FITs Report for those years. See https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/feed-tariff-fit-scheme/feed-tariff-reports/annual-reports Figures for 2012-13 are taken from Ofgem FITs Quarterly Update reports. See https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/feed-tariff-fit-scheme/feed-tariff-reports/fit-update-reports These figures should be treated as provisional. Final figures for 2012-13 will be published in the 2012-13 FITs Annual Report (to be published December 2013). (6) Spending under the Renewables Obligation is calculated as the overall obligation multiplied by the buy-out price. These figures can be found in Ofgem's RO annual reports for 2002-03 to 2011-12, available at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/environmental-programmes/renewables-obligation-ro For 2012-13, the obligation level and buy-out price can be found at: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/renewables-obligation-total-obligation-levels-2012-13 (7) Ofgem (2012) 'Warm Home Discount Scheme Annual Report—Scheme Year 1': https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/58950/whdar08oct2012.pdf (8) HMRC publish data from 2008 (see link). The tables provide historic data since the beginning of the CCL: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/climate-change-levy (9 )https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/estimated-impacts-of-energy-and-climate-change-policies-on-energy-prices-and-bills 
		
	
	It should be noted that the above figures do not account for the direct benefits to energy consumers from these policies and the impact they have in helping to offset costs. For example, the Government's latest estimate of the total impacts of energy and climate change policies on energy prices and bills(9) finds that in 2013 households are estimated on average to save around 5% (or £65) on their energy bills compared to what they would have paid in the absence of policies. This is because the total monetary savings from policies which help households save energy more than offset the necessary cost of investing in new capacity and efficiency. By 2020 it is estimated that households will save on average 11% (£166) on their energy bills compared to what they would have paid in the absence of policies.
	Separate estimates of the compliance costs of the EU ETS can be found here:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121025080026/http://decc.gov.uk/publications/basket.aspx?filetype=4& filepath=what+we+do%2fglobal+climate+change+and+energy% 2ftackling+climate+change%2femissions+trading%2feu_ets%2 fpublications%2f895-cost-euets-uk-operators-compliance.pdf

Energy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has of changes in the UK's gross domestic product (a) to date and (b) by 2020 as a result of climate change and energy policies initiated in response to climate change.

Gregory Barker: Studies indicate that the long-term growth benefit from avoiding climate change will exceed the cost of co-ordinated global action to tackle climate change by helping to avoid the potentially catastrophic implications of failing to act. Most notable of these studies is the Stern review, which found that the global costs of climate change could be between 5% and 20% of GDP per annum if we fail to act, dwarfing the costs of effective international action, estimated at 1-2% of global per capita consumption by 2050(l). Most published analysis also suggests that current UK ambition on climate change can be achieved without large impacts on overall short-term economic output.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) does not possess an analysis of the historical impact of climate change and energy policies on the UK's gross domestic product (GDP). However, as part of the Carbon Plan, the impacts of the policies to meet the first three Carbon Budgets and illustrative measures to meet the fourth budget were modelled using the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Computable General Equilibrium model(2). It should be noted that there is substantial uncertainty around the results of this modelling, and this is inherent in all similar analyses.
	The HMRC model estimated that the first three carbon budgets could be met at an average cost of around 0.4% of GDP over the period 2011-22 (i.e. the level of GDP is on average 0.4% lower compared to a baseline scenario without carbon budget policies), and the fourth carbon budget could be met at an average cost of around 0.6% of GDP over the period 2023-27. The actual impacts on GDP will depend on a range of factors, including fossil fuel prices and future technology costs.
	As stated above, there is significant uncertainty around these estimates. Furthermore, certain potential costs and benefits were not reflected in the HMRC model at the time of the Carbon Plan. Importantly, innovation benefits and the productivity improvements from energy efficiency were not captured, nor are the benefits on future UK growth of the avoided risks from global climate change. Furthermore, it should be noted that the modelling largely assumes that the UK acts unilaterally. Potential welfare costs of resulting behaviour changes are not accounted for, or any cost or time overruns in policy delivery. Each of these excluded factors also has a high degree of uncertainty with regards to scale.
	(1)http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100407012453/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sternreview_index.htm
	(2) The results of this analysis are presented in Annex B of the Carbon Plan (2011), available on DECC's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-carbon-plan-reducing-greenhouse-gas-emissions--2

Energy: Meters

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many smart meters have been installed in (a) residential and (b) business properties to date.

Gregory Barker: The Government reported on the number of smart, smart-type and advanced meters installed by the larger energy suppliers in domestic and smaller non-domestic properties in the First Annual Progress Report on the Roll-out of Smart Meters, published on 19 December 2012. By 30 September 2012, the suppliers had installed 300 smart meters and over 622,000 smart-type meters in domestic properties and 365,000 smart and advanced meters in smaller non-domestic properties. The Government will publish the number of smart meter installations by the larger energy suppliers up to the end June 2013 on 26 September 2013.

Hinkley Point Power Stations

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations his Department has received on the radiological effect on local populations of the opening up of intermediate level radioactive waste storage vaults at Hinkley Point nuclear power plant in preparation for decommissioning the Magnox waste storage facilities.

Michael Fallon: Vaults were constructed at Hinkley Point in 1963 and 1983 to store intermediate level waste. They were not designed with long-term storage in mind. In order to aid future decommissioning, the waste needs to be retrieved, conditioned and. transferred to a new facility to enable continued safe and secure interim storage pending construction of a geological disposal facility.
	The NDA has recently received representations on this topic from Parents Concerned About Hinkley, which were also copied to the Department.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Jesse Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what stage his investigations into Ofgem's decision to class Big Lottery funding as state aid for the purposes of the Feed-in Tariff scheme have reached; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: DECC is not conducting an investigation into Ofgem's decision that National Lottery grants are “grants from public funds” for the purposes of FIT accreditation. It is the role of Ofgem and licensed suppliers to determine eligibility for FITs, based on the legislation that underpins the scheme.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many of his Department's jobs have been relocated from London to each region of the UK in each of the last 10 years.

Gregory Barker: DECC was created in 2008. DECC has staff based in London and Aberdeen. However, since 2008, no jobs have been relocated from London.

Tidal Power

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to support tidal stream and wave technologies in the context of his proposals for electricity market reform.

Michael Fallon: Tidal stream and wave technologies will be eligible for support under the Feed in Tariffs with Contracts for Difference (CfDs) which are being introduced as part of electricity market reform. These technologies are still at an early-stage of development accordingly, we are consulting on CfD strike prices of £305/MWh for both tidal stream and wave technologies for projects commissioning in the years 2014 to 2018-19. Further detail is set out in our EMR Delivery Plan consultation, which is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-the-draft-electricity-market-reform-delivery

Travel

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what guidance with regards to (a) cost and (b) carbon emissions his Department uses to decide what mode of transport is used by his departmental staff on official business.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is committed to helping the Government achieve its goal of tackling climate change by reducing carbon emissions.
	Online detailed guidance is available to staff reminding them of the necessity to keep travel for work to the minimum to achieve work goals and to always look for sustainable travel options.
	With regard to cost, staff are reminded to consider, when planning any travel for work, whether it has been planned in the most cost-effective and time-efficient way.
	With regard to carbon emissions, DECC has a sustainable travel policy and a business travel emissions reduction plan which strongly encourages use of more carbon efficient modes of transport and the use of video and audio conferencing. Carbon data is included in monthly management information reports.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burundi

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the government of Burundi on (a) the recent enactment of a press law in that country and (b) the restriction the provisions of that law impose on the freedom of the media.

Mark Simmonds: Our non-resident ambassador to Burundi joined other EU member states in a démarche concerning the media law before it was enacted, and he has continued to raise UK concerns about the issue and its impact on press freedom, most recently with the Ministry of the Interior on 29 August.
	Officials have also raised the issue with the Second Vice President of Burundi. Officials continue to meet journalists and members of civil society in Burundi regularly to discuss the new laws and how their impact could be mitigated. The UK will continue to raise its concerns, and encourage other like-minded states to do so.

Chemicals: Exports

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the oral answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 19, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on the reasons for consideration that sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride could be precursors in some other application not being given before the licences were issued; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: No such discussions were held. The two standard individual export licences for sodium fluoride and potassium fluoride were revoked in July 2012—before any of the goods had been exported—as a direct result of an expansion of the EU sanctions regime for Syria. The consideration of the licence applications against the Consolidated Criteria included an assessment of the risk that they would be diverted to be used as precursor chemicals in the manufacture of chemical weapons. But there was no evidence that these exports would be so diverted, and the quantities concerned were consistent with their stated end use for commercial purposes. No subsequent evidence has arisen to cast doubt on the assessment made at the time.

Colombia

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Colombian counterpart on the detention of Mr Huber Ballesteros; and if he will make a statement.

Hugo Swire: We are aware of the detention of Mr Ballesteros. Our ambassador to Colombia has written to the Colombian Prosecutor-General highlighting our interest in the case and requesting information on the charges. Staff at our embassy in Bogota are seeking permission to visit Mr Ballesteros in jail. While the UK cannot interfere in Colombia's judicial process, we will continue to monitor Mr Ballesteros' case and raise any concerns regarding due process with the Colombian authorities.

Israel

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of Palestinian children currently held in Israeli prisons;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners held in Israeli prisons who are Israeli;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of how many Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons have been released since 29 July 2013; how many such prisoners have since been re-arrested; and how many new Palestinian prisoners have entered Israeli prisons since that date.
	(4)  what information his Department holds on how many Palestinian children (a) held in Israeli prisons have been released and (b) have been arrested by Israeli police and security forces since 29 July 2013.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has made no estimate of the number of prisoners, either Palestinian or Israeli, being held in Israeli prisons. I would encourage the hon. Member to seek this information from the Israeli embassy or from the Israeli Prison Service directly.

Kashmir

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the situation in Kashmir.

Hugo Swire: UK officials in Islamabad and Delhi regularly discuss the situation in Kashmir with both governments. The long standing position of the UK is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting resolution to the situation in Kashmir, one which takes into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or to mediate in finding one. We encourage India and Pakistan to take further steps to strengthen their relationship, but recognise that the pace and scope of this is for them to determine.

Kidnapping

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has held with the United Nations Human Rights Council on human rights and terrorist hostage taking.

Alistair Burt: The UK participated in discussions on human rights and terrorist hostage taking at official level at the 21st session of the Human Rights Council in September 2012, at which a resolution was adopted. Officials continue to engage with members of the Council, and will do so at the next session in September 2013.

Middle East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of positive steps towards peace taken by the (a) Israeli Government and (b) Palestinian Authority since 29 July 2013.

Alistair Burt: We warmly welcome the resumption of direct talks between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in Washington on 30 July and the resumption of formal negotiations on 14 August, with a view to resolving all final status issues. The resumption of talks has been possible because of the courageous leadership already shown by Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas, as well as the commitment of negotiators on both sides.
	The UK has consistently urged both sides to avoid steps that undermine US efforts and to take measures to build trust. In this regard, we also welcome the bold and forward-looking decision taken by Israel to release 26 Palestinian prisoners in advance of talks.

Rwanda

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Rwanda and (b) Democratic Republic of Congo about the alleged shelling of Rwandan territory.

Mark Simmonds: Since the outbreak of the recent fighting in eastern DRC, I have spoken to both the Special Representative of the Secretary General and the UN Special Envoy, to express the UK's full support for the UN and MONUSCO and to de-escalate the situation.
	In close co-ordination with the UN, I have also spoken to both the DRC Prime Minister and the Rwandan Foreign Minister to get their perspective on the recent violence in DRC. I have urged both parties to exercise restraint, seek a political solution to the conflict, and engage constructively with the UN.

HEALTH

Dental Services: Veterans

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether veterans of the armed services receive priority dental care.

Daniel Poulter: The Armed Forces Covenant makes clear that veterans should receive priority treatment from the national health service where it relates to a condition which results from their service in the armed forces, subject to clinical need. This includes NHS dental care.

Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date he expects NHS England to ratify the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group recommendation for the use of eculizumab made on 12 July 2013.

Daniel Poulter: We understand that NHS England intends to publish its decision on the Clinical Priorities Advisory group's recommendations on eculizumab in the near future on its website:
	www.england.nhs.uk

Mental Capacity Act 2005

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what body or individual is responsible for monitoring the implementation of the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in hospitals.

Norman Lamb: Hospitals are responsible for ensuring that the care they provide complies with the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act. Clinical Commissioning Groups have a role in ensuring that hospitals from whom they commission care comply with legislative requirements.
	The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is responsible for inspecting hospitals against their registration requirements, one of which refers to gaining consent under the Mental Capacity Act. The CQC also considers compliance with the provisions of the Mental Capacity Act during its thematic reviews. The CQC has a specific duty to monitor practice under the .Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty safeguards and is required to report annually on its findings.

Smoking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average lifespan was of (a) male and (b) female smokers, and of (i) male and (ii) female non-smokers in each year since 1983 for which data is available;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of working days lost due to smoking-related illness in each year since 1983 for which data is available; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the economy of those lost days.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not held by the Department.

Smoking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died of smoking-related illness in each year since 1983 for which data is available; and what estimate he has made of the number of people who will die of smoking-related illness in each of the next three years.

Anna Soubry: Information on how many people aged 35 and over died of smoking-related illness in England is only available since 2004. Data from 2004 to 2011, with the exception of 2006 for which data is not available, inclusive is shown in the following table.
	Information for 2012 is expected to be published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 8 October 2013.
	The Government has made no estimate of the number of people who will die of smoking-related illness in each of the next three years.
	
		
			 All deaths among adults aged 35 and over that can be attributed to smoking, 2004, 2005, 2007-11, England 
			  Attributable number 
			 2004 88,800 
			 2005 81,900 
			 2007 82,900 
			 2008 83,900 
			 2009 81,400 
			 2010 81,700 
			 2011 79,100 
			 Notes: 1. 2004 figures are for England and Wales and not just England. 2. Estimated attributable number, rounded to the nearest 100.

Smoking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of how many 11 to 15-year-olds started smoking in each year since 1983.

Anna Soubry: The information is not available in the format requested.
	We do not hold information on how many 11 to 15-year-olds start smoking each year. We do, however, hold information on the proportions of pupils within that age range who have ever smoked or who regularly smoke.
	Information on the prevalence of smoking among 11 to 15-year-olds from 1982 to 2012 is shown in tables 2.1a and 2.1b of “Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2012”.
	This publication has been placed in the Library.

Smoking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of smoking on the developing foetus.

Anna Soubry: The Department is aware of evidence that shows that maternal smoking during pregnancy and passive exposure of the mother-to-be to second-hand smoke can have serious negative health consequences for the foetus, the baby post-partum and the mother-to-be.
	According to the Royal College of Physicians' 2010 report, Passive Smoking and Children, active maternal smoking causes up to about 5,000 miscarriages, 300 perinatal deaths, and 2,200 premature singleton births in the United Kingdom each year. Exposure of the foetus to active maternal smoking also impairs foetal growth and development, increasing the risk of being small for gestational age and reducing birth weight by about 250g, and probably increases the risk of congenital abnormalities of the heart, limbs, and face. Active maternal smoking causes around 19,000 babies to be born with low birth weight in the UK each year.
	The report also describes how maternal passive smoking is likely to have similar adverse effects on foetal and reproductive health, but of smaller magnitude.
	A copy of Passive Smoking and Children is available at:
	www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/passive-smoking-and-children.pdf

Smoking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of pregnant teenagers who smoked
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Anna Soubry: The official source of data on smoking during pregnancy (measured at the time of giving birth) is the “Statistics on Women's Smoking Status at Time of Delivery” publication (SaTOD). SaTOD, however, does not collect data by age.
	Therefore, we have provided information from the Infant Feeding Survey, which collects information on smoking before and during pregnancy from mothers after birth. This survey is carried out at five yearly intervals.
	Information on smoking before or during pregnancy for mothers aged under 20 for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010 is shown in the following table.
	A copy of the Infant Feeding Survey 2005 chapter 10 and Infant Feeding Survey 2010 chapter 11 has been placed in the Library.
	
		
			 Smoking during pregnancy in England by mother's age (2000, 2005 and 2010) 
			  Percentage who smoked before or during pregnancy Percentage who smoked throughout pregnancy 
			  2000 2005 2010 2000 2005 2010 
			 Under 20 64 68 58 39 45 36 
			 Note: Excludes mothers who did not supply sufficient information to classify their smoking status.

Tobacco: Packaging

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on the introduction of standardised packaging for cigarettes and tobacco products; and if he will make statement.

Anna Soubry: The Government set out the current position on standardised tobacco packaging in a written ministerial statement on 12 July 2013, Official Report, columns 53-54WS. The Government has decided to wait before making a decision on standardised packaging. This allows time to benefit from the experience of Australia, where they introduced standardised packaging in December 2012. This remains the Government's position.

TREASURY

Child Benefit Office and Child Support Agency

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to implement an automatic link for the Child Benefit Office to notify the Child Support Agency of its decisions;
	(2)  what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to improve the sharing of information between the Child Benefit Office and the Child Support Agency;
	(3)  what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the sharing of information between the Child Benefit Office and the Child Support Agency;
	(4)  what steps he (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to reduce the time taken by the Child Benefit Office to carry out investigations.

Sajid Javid: As some child benefit decisions may impact on decisions made by the Child Support Agency, the agency has automated access to the child benefit system to check whether child benefit is or is not in payment for a child or young person. The information accessed is limited to that which is proportionate and relevant for the purposes of the agency's functions. As not all child benefit decisions are relevant to the agency, it would be disproportionate and not relevant for the agency's functions to receive notifications of all child benefit decisions.
	HM Revenue and Customs has recently reviewed and improved the process and priority given to investigating allegations made by third parties that a claimant may be continuing to receive child benefit for a young person who is no longer in full-time non-advanced education.

Coastal Communities Fund: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding has been allocated to the Coastal Communities Fund in Northern Ireland in each of the next three years.

Danny Alexander: Funding for the Coastal Communities Fund is equal to 50% of the revenues generated by the Crown Estate's marine assets.
	Northern Ireland will receive £0.5 million in 2013-14, £0.6 million in 2014-15 and the 2015-16 allocation is yet to be determined. This determination is dependent on the Crown Estate's Marine 2013-14 Revenues in Northern Ireland.
	Funding for future years will be determined in line with this formula and will be reviewed as part of future spending rounds. We will also review the size of the Fund should revenue rise or fall significantly in any given year.

Council Tax: Rebates

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce a council tax rebate for homes participating in the Green Deal in addition to the Green Deal Launch cash-back scheme.

Sajid Javid: Following the Chancellor's announcement of £200 million additional capital to encourage uptake of Green Deal in the 2011 autumn statement, the Government is using £125 million of this to fund a generous Cashback scheme to be claimed by those who take up Green' Deal from January 2013.
	Other uses of the additional capital include £12 million of funding that has been allocated to seven cities across England to help pilot Green Deal in their regions.
	The Government does not have any plans to introduce a council tax rebate for homes participating in the Green Deal.

Crown Lands and Estates: Minerals

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of royalty income from Crown-owned mineral rights attached to land in the UK in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14;
	(2)  how much the Exchequer received in royalty income from Crown-owned mineral rights on land in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Sajid Javid: Under the Crown Estate Act 1961, 50% of the Crown Estate's net income received from land based minerals goes to the Exchequer with the remaining 50% going into the Crown Estate's capital accounts for reinvestment in the portfolio.
	Between 2009 and 2013 the amount returned to the Exchequer from the Crown Estate's onshore mineral interests was:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2009-10 1.2 
			 2010-11 1.1 
			 2011-12 0.9 
			 2012-13 1.1 
		
	
	Figures for 2013-14 will be available at financial year end in 2014.

Entertainments: Tickets

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the annual revenue forgone to HM Revenue and Customs as a result of the operation of the secondary ticketing market.

David Gauke: Secondary ticket sellers carrying on a trade are liable to pay tax on their profits in the same way as primary ticket sellers are. Self-employed sellers will be subject to income tax and companies will be subject to corporation tax. VAT will also apply if their turnover exceeds the legal threshold.
	HMRC does not hold information on the amount of tax collected from the ticketing market, or on the tax foregone through ticket re-sales in the hidden economy.

Excise Duties: Tobacco

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to implement Article 4 of Council Decision 2010/12/EU; and if he will make a statement.

Sajid Javid: The Government is currently assessing the implications of applying quantitative restrictions provided for by Article 4 of Council Directive 2010/12. Article 4 allows members states to apply quantitative restrictions on the personal importations of cigarettes from other member states with excise duty rates below the permitted minimum rates, following the increase to the EU minimum excise duty rate from 1 January 2014.

Fracking: Scotland

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what oral and written representations he has received from the Scottish Government regarding the proposed fiscal regime for shale gas to date.

Sajid Javid: holding answer 4 September 2013
	The Chancellor of the Exchequer has not received any oral or written representations from the Scottish Government regarding the proposed fiscal regime for shale gas.

Gift Aid

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will introduce (a) a central database of Gift Aid donors and (b) a campaign to make more people aware of Gift Aid;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to ensure that unclaimed gift aid is claimed by charities.

Sajid Javid: The Government launched a consultation in July on the future of Gift Aid, in particular how Gift Aid works with new forms of digital donations. This consultation runs until 20 September and asks for views on a database of universal Gift Aid declarations, which could be populated with details of donors who have made Gift Aid declarations.
	The consultation also seeks views on the promotion of Gift Aid, to raise awareness and to increase its take up on more donations that are eligible for a Gift Aid repayment.
	To operate Gift Aid as a tax relief, the donor must knowingly give permission for the tax they pay on their donation to be repaid under Gift Aid. The Government does not collect information about the donations on which Gift Aid could be, but has not been, claimed. Not all donors can donate under Gift Aid, and some that can choose not to.

Gift Aid

Toby Perkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many charities have made successful gift aid declarations in three out of the previous seven tax years; and how many charities have made successful gift aid declarations in two out of the previous four tax years;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the Small Charitable Donations Act 2012 on the ability of small charities to claim gift aid.

Sajid Javid: The Small Charitable Donations Act 2012 introduced the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme (GASDS), which enables charities and Community Amateur Sports Clubs to claim Gift Aid-style payments on small cash donations. The GASDS was introduced at the beginning of this tax year for donations received from 6 April 2013 onwards, so it is too early to assess its impact. The Government committed to reviewing the GASDS after three years of the scheme becoming operational.
	From December 2013 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will be publishing national statistics on the amounts paid out under the GASDS.
	HMRC publishes national statistics on the number of charities that claim Gift Aid each year here:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/charity/table10-4.pdf

Historic Buildings: Repairs and Maintenance

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on the refurbishment of Frogmore House;
	(2)  what recent representations his Department has received on the refurbishment of Frogmore House.

Sajid Javid: The refurbishment of Frogmore House is the responsibility of the royal household, which has considerable flexibility over its use of the sovereign grant. There have therefore been no discussions.

Housing Benefit: Fraud

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated level of housing benefit fraud in England was in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The figures for England only are not available. The estimated levels of housing benefit fraud in Great Britain are as follows: (a) £250 million (1.2% of spend) in 2009-10, (b) £300 million (1.4% of spend) in 2010-11 and (c) £350 million (1.5% of spend) in 2011-12.
	The information is derived from the 2012-13 preliminary estimates of benefit fraud and error. Further information can be found by accessing the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203097/nsfr-final-090513.pdf

Housing Benefit: Fraud

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many prosecutions for housing benefit fraud were recorded in each local authority area in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	DWP publishes a range of Housing Benefit Recovery and Fraud statistics at Local Authority level. These can be accessed here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/housing-benefit-recoveries-and-fraud-data
	Specifically, the number of successful prosecutions is included in table 2.10 of the documents linked as follows:
	2011-12 tables
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223303/hbrf_1012.xls
	2010-11 tables
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223304/hbrf_1011.xls
	2009-10 tables
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223305/hbrf_0910.xls

Jobseeker's Allowance

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the proposal in the 2013 Spending Round to make jobseeker's allowance claimants wait seven days before becoming eligible for financial support will apply to those moving directly to the benefit from (a) employment and support allowance and (b) incapacity benefit.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	The detail of the new policy is still to be decided. However, under current rules, people are exempt from waiting days if they claim jobseeker's allowance within 12 weeks of entitlement to employment and support allowance or incapacity benefit, coming to an end.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for annual PAYE status have been received since the introduction of real time information; and how many such applications have been granted.

David Gauke: Employers must satisfy HMRC that they meet the criteria to have an annual PAYE status applied to their record. HMRC does not record the number of requests for annual status received or granted.

Public Sector Debt

David Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the proportion of tax revenue required to service interest payments on the national debt in each of the next 10 years.

Sajid Javid: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing the official economic and fiscal forecasts in the UK. In the latest March 2013 Economic and Fiscal outlook, debt interest payments for each fiscal year in the forecast period can be found in Table 4.29, as follows:
	
		
			 Table 4.29: Key changes to debt interest since December 
			 Forecast (£ billion) 
			  2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 
			 December forecast 47.1 48.6 51.8 56.6 61.6 67.1 
			 March forecast 46.5 49.5 51.8 57.8 64.4 71.3 
			 Change -0.6 0.9 0.0 1.2 2.8 4.2 
			 of which:       
			 Financing 0.0 -0.2 -0.1 0.4 0.8 1.3 
			 Gilt rates 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.4 1.0 1.5 
			 Short rates 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.3 
			 Inflation -0.3 1.0 0.3 0.6 1.0 1.1 
			 B&B and NRAM 0.0 -0.1 -0.1 -0.3 -0.4 -0.3 
			 Other -0.2 0.0 -0.1 0.1 0.3 0.4 
		
	
	Public sector current receipts (PSCR) for each fiscal year in the forecast period can be found in Table 4.7, as follows:
	
		
			 Table 4.7: Current receipts 
			 £ billion 
			  Outturn Forecast 
			  2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 
			 Current receipts 572.6 586.8 612.4 633.1 657.6 694.1 723.0 
			         
			 Memo. UK oil and gas revenues 11.3 6.5 6.8 6.1 4.7 4.8 4.3 
		
	
	The proportion of PSCR required to service debt interest payments for each fiscal year in the forecast period in the following table:
	
		
			  PSCR Debt interest payments Proportion of tax revenue required to service debt interest payments (%) 
			 2012-13 586.8 46.5 7.9 
			 2013-14 612.4 49.5 8.1 
			 2014-15 633,1 51.8 8.2 
			 2015-16 657.6 57.8 8.8 
			 2016-17 694.1 64.4 9.3 
			 2017-18 723.0 71.3 9.9 
		
	
	The Government remains committed to reducing the deficit and addressing the permanent structural deterioration in the public finances caused by the lasting impact of the financial crisis. Implementation of the fiscal consolidation plans is well under way. As a result, the Government has made significant progress in reversing the unprecedented rise in borrowing between 2007-08 and 2009-10. Public sector net borrowing has fallen by over a third, from 11.2% of GDP in 2009-10 to 7.0% in 2012-13. Cumulative debt interest payments from 2010-11 to 2015-16 are forecast to be £31 billion lower than expected at the June Budget 2010.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the (a) number and (b) monetary value of heritage assets exempt from estate duty which are (i) land, buildings and their contents, (ii) works of art and (iii) collections of art.

David Gauke: The estate duty exemption only applies to chattels. It does not apply to land and buildings or to collections of art. The number and value of exempt assets which are land and buildings is therefore nil. The total number of exempt items, which includes contents, works of art and collections, is approximately 44,700, with an estimated value of about £250 million.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to the public purse of offering an exemption from estate duty for heritage assets.

David Gauke: Exemptions from estate duty are not currently offered and have not been offered since 1975 when estate duty was replaced. The annual cost of the estate duty exemption is therefore nil.
	In terms of the cost of existing exemptions, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 27 June 2013, Official Report, column 339W,[161863].

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the terms of the regime for exemption from estate duty of heritage assets were last reviewed.

David Gauke: Estate duty was replaced in 1975. Prior to that, the terms of the estate duty exemption were last amended on 25 July 1969 by section 39 of Finance Act 1969.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what requirements are placed on owners of heritage assets which are exempt from estate duty.

David Gauke: The requirements for the exemption from estate duty depend on the date when the event which gave rise to the tax charge occurred. For events up to 28 July 1950, the only obligation is that the objects are not sold. For events after that date, there are additional requirements that the objects are kept in the UK and, in certain cases, that they are preserved and made available for inspection by authorised persons for preservation or research purposes.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the exemption from estate duty of heritage assets as a contribution to public enjoyment of heritage assets.

David Gauke: The estate duty exemption preserves and protects almost 45,000 heritage items which may have otherwise been sold or taken out of the UK.

Tax Allowances: Cultural Heritage

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what records his Department maintains of the number of visits by members of the public to each heritage asset in respect of which exemption from estate duty has been granted.

David Gauke: No records of visits by members of the public to these assets are kept by HM Revenue and Customs.

Taxation: Developing Countries

Pauline Latham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent on supporting tax administrations in developing countries in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: HMRC is fully committed to supporting tax administrations in developing countries.
	However, all of the associated costs in relation to this work over the last five years are nil, as they are covered by the Department for International Development (DFID) and international organisations, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD).

VAT: Imports

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for certification have been made for simplified import VAT accounting in each of the last five years; and how many such applications were (a) approved and (b) rejected.

David Gauke: The number of applications for simplified import VAT (SIVA) certification in each of the last five years is as follows:
	1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013: 733 (527 of which were approved and 181 rejected)
	1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012: 783 (543 of which were approved and 163 rejected)
	1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011: 840 (608 of which were approved and 149 rejected)
	1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010: 757 (560 of which were approved and 105 rejected)
	1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009: 1000 (732 of which were approved and 189 rejected).
	There is a discrepancy, per annum, between the number of applications received and the total of applications approved and rejected. The remaining applicants did not supply sufficient information to HMRC for a decision to approve or reject the application.

VAT: Imports

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who has made applications for simplified import VAT accounting certificates in each of the last five years; and which applications were approved.

David Gauke: HMRC is unable to provide the taxpayer specific information requested as it falls outside boundaries of data which can legally be made available. Specifically the confidentiality clause under s18 of Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 (CRCA) restricts the disclosure of this type of information.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Atos Healthcare

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many appointments for ATOS face-to-face assessments in England were cancelled in the last 12 months because a healthcare professional was not available for the appointment; and for what reason such appointments were cancelled.

Mark Hoban: 13,795 face-to-face work capability assessments for employment and support allowance and incapacity benefit reassessments were cancelled because a health care professional was not available for the appointment for the period August 2012 to July 2013. 779,305 were successfully completed for the same period.
	The reasons for cancellation were:
	Number of clients attended exceeded the medical capacity
	Health care professional was unavailable
	Health care professional did not attend for the session.

Digital Technology

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what funding his Department is making available for digital inclusion (a) directly and (b) through partner bodies.

Mark Hoban: We are investing in improved access to digital services across Jobcentre Plus and 6,000 new computers will be installed across the country to help claimants who are digitally excluded make online transactions.
	The universal credit programme is also investing in local authority-led pilots to test how we support claimants and digital inclusion is one of the approaches being tested. The Universal Credit Local Support Services Framework sets out the basic principles for helping people who might need support with the new demands of universal credit, such as help with getting online.
	The Department will continue to work with local authorities and service providers, including charities and social landlords, in order to develop local partnerships to provide the additional support for digital inclusion. We have provided some funding to the Tinder foundation (formerly Online Centres Foundation) and invested in the Digital Deal challenge fund for social landlord led projects to support their digitally excluded tenants.

Employment and Support Allowance

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals placed in the Work-Related Activity Group received a prognosis statement that they are unlikely to return to work in the last six months.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 New claims—Outcomes of initial functional assessments by prognosis and month of result date, for the work related activity group, Great Britain 
			  Claimants with prognosis of two years and over 
			 2012  
			 September 200 
			 October 300 
			 November 300 
			 December 200 
			   
			 2013  
			 January 200 
			 February 200 
			 Note: Figures are shown rounded to the nearest 100. Source: Data in the table is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. Scope: Initial functional assessment—the first assessment of the Employment and Support Allowance claim. The outcome recorded is the final DWP Decision Maker's decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare Professional where the Decision Maker's decision is not yet available.

Occupational Pensions

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance his Department gives to employers regarding automatic enrolment options for pensions.

Steve Webb: The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is responsible for communicating with employers about the reforms and has an extensive programme of engagement in place. This includes holding face to face meetings with the largest employers and writing to all employers ahead of their staging date.
	TPR has published detailed guidance for employers, and their intermediaries, on how to comply with the new duties and to help them select an appropriate workplace pension for their workers. It is designed to demonstrate to employers what a good scheme looks like and sets out the key factors an employer should consider when choosing a scheme.
	Many employers will already have a pension scheme in place before their automatic enrolment staging date. Providing that their existing scheme meets minimum quality requirements and is suitable for automatic enrolment they can continue to use existing scheme(s). All they have to do is certify that their scheme meets the required standard. The Department for Work and Pensions has produced supporting guidance on certification of Defined Contribution, Defined Benefit and Hybrid pensions as qualifying schemes.

Occupational Pensions

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount of resources devoted to publicising (a) NEST as an automatic enrolment option and (b) other alternatives to NEST as automatic enrolment options in the last year.

Steve Webb: It is the Government's strategy to promote automatic enrolment awareness rather than any particular scheme.
	The Pensions Regulator (TPR) provides support for employers via their website to help them comply with their new duties; as part of this TPR has issued comprehensive guidance to assist employers in selecting an appropriate pension scheme for their workers. It is designed to demonstrate to employers what a good scheme looks like and sets out the key factors an employer should consider when choosing a scheme.
	As part of their duty for supporting automatic enrolment the Regulator has a responsibility to remind employers that NEST is one qualifying scheme they can choose to use and that NEST has public service objective to accept any employer who wishes to use it.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the proportion of personal independence payments that will be successfully appealed in the next 12 months.

Esther McVey: PIP replaced DLA for people of working age in April this year in parts of the North of England, alongside other reforms which require individuals to seek a reconsideration of the decision from DWP before they can lodge an appeal direct with Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. It was extended nationally in June.
	To date only a small number of mandatory reconsiderations have been received and it is too early to form a reliable estimate of the proportion of decisions which will be successfully appealed.
	The timetable for release of PIP statistics is provided in the publication strategy.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-release-strategy

Population

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department is undertaking research on the effects of population growth in the UK on the Department's services.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions routinely takes account of population projections in planning its business.

Social Security Benefits: Glasgow

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the amount that has been (a) overpaid and (b) underpaid in benefits in each of the last five years in (i) Glasgow North West constituency, (ii) Glasgow, (iii) Scotland and (iv) the UK.

Steve Webb: Constituency, Glasgow-wide and Scotland fraud and error estimates are not available.
	The estimated amount of money overpaid and underpaid through benefit fraud and error in Great Britain can be found on the DWP National Statistics Fraud and Error in the Benefit System webpage:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd2/index.php?page=fraud_error
	For the last five years the estimated level of benefit fraud and error was as follows:
	
		
			  Overpayments Underpayments 
			  £ billion Percentage £ billion Percentage 
			 2012-13(1) 3.5 2.1 1.4 0.9 
			 2011-12 3.4 2.1 1.3 0.8 
			 2010-11 3.2 2.1 1.2 0.8 
			 2009-10 3.3 2.2 1.3 0.9 
			 2008-09 2.9 2.2 1.2 0.9 
			 (1) 2012-13 are preliminary estimates based on estimated 2012-13 financial year expenditure and October 2011 to September 2012 sample data for individual benefits. 
		
	
	Northern Ireland fraud and error estimates, which are comparable to the above Great Britain statistics, can be found at:
	http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/publications/annual_reports/publications-ssa-annual-reports.htm

Social Security Benefits: Glasgow

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he is taking to ensure that all those entitled to and in need of benefits in Glasgow North West constituency claim all relevant benefits.

Mark Hoban: District and Regional Partnership Teams hold regular meetings with partner organisations and update them on benefit-related topics. Scotland's DWP staff hold meetings with Scottish Customer Representative Groups three times a year, at which new benefits, changes to benefits and all other relevant information is provided to groups who represent our customers. One to one meetings also take place with these partner organisations, on an as and when basis.
	We direct claimants to the Gov.uk website:
	www.gov.uk
	which includes a section on how to claim benefits and incorporates a Benefits Adviser Tool where potential claimants can find out what benefits they could be entitled to, anonymously.
	National campaigns are occasionally run to notify the general public of new benefits or to try and increase the take-up of existing ones.
	If staff identify vulnerable customers who might need additional help in claiming all they are entitled to, a referral may be made to DWP's visiting staff.
	General benefit advice is provided to employees faced with a large scale redundancy situation.
	In Scotland, Benefit Directorate participate in benefit information sessions for the Scottish Refugee Council for new arrivals to the country.
	I have no specific examples in relation to Glasgow North West.

Social Security Benefits: Brighton

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made by residents of Brighton and Hove unitary authority area were rejected on the basis of the findings of a work capability assessment in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) the preceding period; and what proportion of such decisions were (i) reversed and (ii) upheld on appeal;
	(2)  what proportion of incapacity benefit reassessment applications made by residents of Brighton and Hove unitary authority area were rejected on the basis of the findings of a work capability assessment in (a) the latest period for which figures are available and (b) the preceding period; and what proportion of such decisions were (i) reversed and (ii) upheld on appeal.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made by residents of Brighton and Hove unitary authority area that were rejected on the basis of the findings of a work capability assessment and what proportion of such decisions were (i) reversed and (ii) upheld on appeal from 27 October 2008 to 31 May 2012 have been placed in the Library.
	Statistics on what proportion of incapacity benefit reassessment applications made by residents of Brighton and Hove unitary authority area that were rejected on the basis of the findings of a work capability assessment from 27 October 2008 to 31 May 2012 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment
	Information on what proportion of such decisions were (i) reversed and (ii) upheld on appeal is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Unemployment: Young People

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what change there has been in the level of youth unemployment in the last three years; and what steps he plans to take to reduce youth unemployment in the next two years.

Mark Hoban: Youth unemployment is at a similar level now to when the coalition took office, having risen by nearly 250,000 in the two years leading up to the 2010 general election.
	There have been periods of both rising and falling youth unemployment since 2010 but recent figures have been encouraging, with the number of unemployed 16 to 24-year-olds (excluding those who are full-time students) down 37,000 in the year to April to June 2013, to 676,000. The number of young people claiming jobseeker's allowance also fell by 72,100 in the year to July 2013, to 381,300.
	Although improving, youth unemployment remains too high. That is why we have modernised our services by giving Jobcentre Plus advisers access to a comprehensive menu of help tailored to support the individual at the most appropriate point in their claim.
	We introduced the Youth Contract which will provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people—including wage incentives, incentives to take on apprentices, and extra work experience placements. Extra funding is being made available to support the most vulnerable 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training into learning, an apprenticeship or job with training.
	Young people also have access to the Work programme which provides tailored support for those claimants furthest from the labour market. Young claimants are referred to a provider after 9 months of seeking work and those with more challenging barriers to work can be referred at three months. Providers are paid on the results they achieve, and are paid more for supporting the harder to help into work.

Universal Credit

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2013, Official Report, column 707W on free school meals, for what reasons free school meals were not included in universal credit pathfinders from the outset.

Mark Hoban: As outlined in the answer on 19 June 2013, free school meals were included in universal credit from the outset.

Universal Credit

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of universal credit in incentivising work.

Mark Hoban: Universal credit will lead to an increase in employment due to improved financial incentives, simpler and more transparent system, and changes to the requirements placed on claimants. Overall, this could lead to the equivalent of up to 300,000 additional people in work. We published our assessment of the likely impact of universal credit in December last year. This can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-impact-assessment
	We will monitor and evaluate the effects of universal credit as the programme rolls out. Details of our evaluation framework are at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-evaluation-framework

Vacancies

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the most recent statistics on vacancies by constituency will be published.

Mark Hoban: DWP is working with Monster Worldwide Limited, the Universal Jobmatch supplier, on a timetable for prioritising and implementing improvements to the available Universal Jobmatch Ml, including breakdowns by parliamentary constituency, subject to funding, and so it has no current plans to publish statistics on vacancies by constituency.
	Any snapshot of unfilled vacancies at a point in time will miss the regular turnover of new vacancies that are notified as existing opportunities are filled. It will also miss jobs coming up through other recruitment channels or filled by direct approaches to employers or word of mouth.

Vacancies: Fraud

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to tackle sham job advertisements.

Mark Hoban: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) takes approximately 4 million job vacancies from about 330,000 employers every year. During the period January 2013 to August 2013, 312 employer accounts were identified as inappropriate and closed. Although a relatively small percentage of the total number of vacancies handled, the Department regards any infiltration of its services as a serious matter and takes immediate steps to minimise adverse impact to jobseekers.
	Since 19 November 2012 DWP has operated Universal Jobmatch, an online self service job posting and matching service for both employer/recruiters and jobseekers. Before using the service all employers must confirm that the jobs they advertise are genuine.
	The service proactively identifies potentially inappropriate job advertisements by checking for known IP addresses (through specific computer recognition) and email domains that are linked to this activity. Searches are also undertaken to identify particular words/phrases to eliminate potentially improper access.
	Where it is known that Universal Jobmatch has been directly targeted, the offending job advert is removed immediately. In cases where DWP establish evidence that jobseekers have been matched to potentially spurious jobs, immediate action is taken to alert the Jobseeker not to proceed further with the job application. DWP has also worked with police authorities to support the pursuit of criminal proceedings.

Vacancies: Fraud

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are taken to ensure the authenticity of businesses placing job advertising in Jobcentre Plus premises.

Mark Hoban: Registration for Universal Jobmatch is through the Government Gateway. Employers are obliged to sign up to detailed terms and conditions, agreeing that the jobs they advertise on the Universal Jobmatch service are available to jobseekers on an open and fair basis; and that all vacancies comply with employment related legislation including the Equality Act 2010, Health and Safety legislation and working time regulations.
	Built into the service are monitoring tools and vacancy checks, which help to detect, deter and remedy inappropriate use of the site. The service is designed to block known bogus/fraudulent employers from accessing the service. Checks are also made to identify inappropriate, fraudulent and bogus jobs in order to block them from being posted. Additionally, a ‘Contact Us’ facility is provided so users can quickly highlight any employers that users may have concerns about, which are then fully investigated.

Work Capability Assessment

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to his Department's announcement of 22 July 2013 on improving the Work Capability Assessment, if he will publish his Department's audit which identified an unacceptable reduction in the quality of written reports produced following assessments.

Mark Hoban: I intend to provide Parliament with a full update on this matter in the autumn and will publish our audit findings alongside this.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to publish the Evidence Based Review of the Work Capability Assessment.

Mark Hoban: Our original intention was to publish the final report for the Evidence Based Review of the Work Capability Assessment in the spring/summer of 2013; however, in order to ensure a robust examination of the evidence collected, we will now we publishing later than expected, with the final report produced by the end of the year.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people returned to Job Centre Plus after completing two years on the Work Programme in (a) June, (b) July and (c) August 2013.

Mark Hoban: The next release of Work programme Official Statistics on the 26 September 2013 will include figures for the first time on those who complete the Work programme at 104 weeks.

Work Programme

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he has taken to ensure that organisations participating in the Work programme deliver in accordance with their contracts.

Mark Hoban: Providers delivering the Work programme are required to at least meet minimum performance levels set out in contracts. Those not meeting minimum levels will be issued with formal notices requiring them to improve, with the prospect of losing contracts if they fail to do so.
	Providers are also required to deliver at least the minimum standard of service they promise for each participant. To ensure promised service standards are being delivered, the Department conducts a monthly review of a sample of participants from each contract, requiring providers to rectify any shortcomings identified. This is backed up by an accessible and independently backed complaints process that enables participants to raise concerns they might have with the support they receive.